Archive for the ‘Film Reviews’ Category

A characters journey is a crucial part of story telling, with most films using a characters journey as their main plot device or vehicle. Coming of age films are a prime example of a genre of film that uses the characters inner journey to further the plot and their own personalities, creating a contrast between the lead […]

Tickets now on sale for our Thursday, July 31st 8:00 PM premiere! Tickets can be purchased here. When Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy flies into theaters on August 1st, it will be Marvel Studios and Disneys biggest gamble yet. Guardians of the Galaxy is the 10th film from Marvel Studios, a once independent production company […]

‘Crazy Heart’ director Scott Cooper presents his newest drama, ‘Out of the Furnace’. This film includes an amazing cast featuring Christian Bale and Casey Affleck playing brothers who find themselves in strife with Woody Harrelson, a ruthless local criminal. Viewers should expect a powerful performance from the full cast. Other stars include Zoe Saldana, Willem […]

Compliance has stirred up a fair amount of controversy since it debuted at Sundance, and this week, we bring Compliance to you, the faithful and stalwart patrons of CinemaSalem. And stalwart you will need to be. Based on a real life case, the details of which can be reviewed here, the film depicts an incident […]

I’ll be talking about two movies this week–Takashi Miike’s new drama Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (opening today in the screening room) and Lauren Greenfield’s latest documentary, The Queen of Versailles (opening on one of the big screens today). Takashi Miike, best known for some of his more gruesome work–Ichi the Killer, Audition–returns to the […]

This week’s screening room film, I Wish, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (Nobody Knows, Still Walking) is a simple, joyous delight. Like most of Koreeda’s films, the plot centers on a family in crisis. The narrative revolves around the two sons Koichi and Ryu, who are living in separate households following their parent’s divorce. Koichi wants […]

2011 has come to a close. The Golden Globe awards were just a few days ago, the Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and every movie critic and blogger has been posting their top films lists, so now it’s our turn. Before I jump in, let me preface this by saying that this isn’t […]

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, the feature directorial debut from writer/director Eli Craig is a well crafted horror comedy made by a true fan of the genre. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil isn’t a parody, it’s a well blended genre mash-up in the same vein as Zombieland. Like Zombieland, this film is just as witty […]

Thor, the fourth film from Marvel Studios (Iron Man 1+2, The Incredible Hulk), and the first of their two features this summer, comes out in 3D this Friday, May 6th. I was lucky enough to catch an advanced screening for this film a few weeks ago and I have never been so pleasantly surprised by […]

Easy A is sticking around for another week of comedic teenage misery. Director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal clearly wanted to hearken back to the 80’s teen dramadey genre ruled by the much loved and missed John Hughes, referencing the master and his films frequently throughout the film. Following Emma Stone’s character as […]

CinemaSalem is a four-screen independent community movie theater located in historic downtown Salem, MA. Focusing on quality first-run feature films, art films, and passionate documentaries, CinemaSalem is a friendly and affordable alternative to the megaplex experience, and features the best popcorn you've ever tasted! Perhaps that's why filmlovers recently voted it the
"Best North Shore Movie Theater." [Learn More]